Australia’s poor literacy and what you can do about it

You may not realise it, but your child's literacy education should begin as early as possible - well before their first birthday. Lucy Kippist looks at the program that's helping ensure every child has all they need to be a successful reader.

An astounding 47 percent of Australians over the age of 15 have such poor literacy skills that they end up struggling with the everyday demands of work and study. Plus, one in five children arrive at school developmentally vulnerable. To counter these alarming patterns, the Murdoch Childrens Research Institute in partnership with The Smith Family and with support from the Federal Government, launched the Let’s Read National Early Literacy Campaign in July 2012.

The Let’s Read campaign builds upon the existing Let’s Read community program – an early childhood literacy program designed to educate families on the importance of sharing rhymes, songs, stories and books with their children from birth. The Let’s Read campaign engages professionals, families and communities to promote reading with children from birth. It has seen the development of initiatives such as an online training tool for early childhood professionals to take into their communities. The interactive online learning program is to be launched on 4 September 2013, at the Royal Children’s Hospital, Melbourne.

Showing parents how to help their children’s literacy

According to children’s book author and Let’s Read campaign champion Jaquelyn Muller, the basic aim of the program is to educate parents on the idea that developing a relationship with children and reading doesn’t have to be a highly manufactured process. “Let’s Read was created to demonstrate how at four key learning stages (4 months, 12 months, 18 months and 3.5 years) families can actively take part in their child’s development. At each stage the most important thing is to take the ‘read anywhere and anytime’ approach,” she said.

“That means parents should read whatever is at hand, and if you have particularly young children they respond really well to sounds and music.”

Educating the educators

The online training program that kicks off nationally from September 2013 will allow early childhood education and care professionals to learn at their own pace before taking the program’s structure into their own communities.

Ms Muller said there has been interest in the program globally, with teachers from places such as Africa endorsing the program’s messages and research.